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Coinage
The Monetary System 1 gd (gold ducat) equals 10 sd (silver dollar) 1 sd (silver dollar) equals 10 cc (copper coin) 1 cc (copper coin) equals 10 bb (brass bit) In addition, the League of Cityports uses an electrum piece called the compass rose. 1 compass rose equals 2 sd. Furthermore, the Pandese Empire uses a denar made of electrum. The official exchance rate is 1 denar for 1 gd, but since the metal value equals about a 1/7 gd, it is rarely accepted outside the Empire. Approved Coin Metals Countless different types of coins exist in Bandagora, but since the Edict of Cheiband of 1060, only fives types of coins may be struck with the blessing of the gods 1) pure gold, 2) pure silver, 3) electrum, that is 1 part gold to 10 parts silver, 4) copper - all coins containing at least 5 grams of copper are considered copper coins and 5) brass - all coins containing at least 0.5 gram of copper are considered brass bits. According to the Edict of Cheiband gold is worth 14 times as much as silver, silver being ten times as valuable as copper. This makes gold worth 6,4 times as much as electrum, electrum being 2,2 times as valuable as silver. Other metals are considered worthless if struck as coins. Highly valuable metals like platinum, truesilver, mithril, moraskorr or orichalcum are not to be struck as coins, as their value depends on the market. Gold Coins The most widespread gold coin is the gold ducat containing 3,5 grams pure gold. The name dates back to the first Duke of Hardnit, Kristiorn, who around 750 in Koira had strike a coin that showed the new status of Hardnit. On the inscription the word "ducatus", i.e. duchy, appeared. The economical power of Hardnit was weak, and the duchy did not really need such a valuable coin. And at first, it did not have much impact. But when Legemul in 755 was crowned king of Marentia, he struck a similar Kartrian coin that became the most important currency in the Inner Sea. But around 800 Kartrian tolls (cf. Allisar) angered Penboyn, Salakand and the Drusian Compact to the point that they melted the Kartrian coins down and struck their own. To maintain the basis of trade they more or less kept the standard of 3,5 grams, but now the name ducat replaced the former Kartrian word. The ducat slowly spread westward and with time replaced the Pellan halo, a 10 grams cold coin, that went for three ducats in the 9th and 10th century. A gold ducat is abbreviated gd. Enders started a production of a 7 grams cold coin, the endorin, in 1070, but it has not ever seen much use outside Enders. Silver and Electrum Coins The most widespread silver coin is the silver dollar containing 5 grams pure silver. The name dollar is a corruption of dale, or valley. In the time of the Island Concord almost all the silver were mined from the Valley of Azartes on Kartria. Today almost every civilized country strike their own. The silver dollar is abbreviated sd. The most widespread electrum coin is the Pandese denarius containing 3,3 grams electrum (0,3 gram gold and 3,0 grams silver. Its metal worth is a seventh of the gold ducat, but outside the Pandese Empire the exchange is most often one denarius for one silver dollar. See Pandese coinage. A denarius is abbreviated dn, but this is rarely used outside the empire. The League of cityports strike a 4,6 grams electrum coin called the compass rose (or sometimes just compass). The metal value equals 2 silver dollars. Copper and Brass Coins Copper pieces are known in many versions, but according to the Edict of Cheiband, they are now either copper coins or brass bits. In the years following the edict, some disorder ensued, but traders and travelers have welcomed it. Most larger cities strike their own copper coins and let local goldsmiths make brass bits. In many places local valuables are used along with brass bits, such as glass pearls or predator teeth. cc is short for copper coin, while bb is short for brass bit.